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J 




11 

\i iiiii 






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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



STREET ON AUCTION 

A Conservative, Practical and Profitable 
Method of Playing the Greatest 
of Modern Games 

Revised Edition 
BY 

CHARLES STUART STREET 

AUTHOR OF 
•'Concise Whist/' **Whist Up-to-Date," 
*'Bridge Up-to-Date," **Good Bridge," 

**Outlines of Auction Bridge" 
and 

**Sixty Bridge Hands" 



NEW YORK 
1913 



Copyright 1911 

BY 

Chari.es Stuart Street. 
Revised Edition, Copyright 1912 

BY 

Charees Stuart Street. 
All Rights Reserved 



STREET ON AUCTION 
Revised Edition 

Including ''Royals" and the New Count 

Sent on Receipt of Price, 
$1.25 Net. 
Addrejss: Charles S. Street 
' '240 East 51st Street 
New York City 



(gCU332323 

Ml 



To my friend 

HARRY H, WARD, 
in appreciation of his suggestions and 
kind collaboration this book is 
gratefidly dedicated. 



PREFACE. 



In this book it is presupposed that the 
student of Auction knows the principles and 
general rules of the game of Bridge. There- 
fore, to insert here chapters upon Second or 
Third Hand Play, Management of Trump 
Hands, Holding Up, Unblocking, etc., would 
be but an idle repetition. The author has 
covered all that ground in his last book on 
Bridge, entitled Good Bridge. The present 
volume is devoted to an exposition of the 
principles of Auction, and has been purposely 
delayed in the writing until the game, which 
for a long time has been chaotic, has at last 
crystallized into a reasonable and recognized 
system. This system as shown here is natural, 
conservative and reliable. It begets confidence 
between partners, and when followed by good 
players not only insures them a fair meed of 
success, but also, and above all, arms them 
against great and disproportionate loss. The 
author has no fads or fancies to advance; his 
sole aim has been to set forth in a clear and 



comprehensive way the best method of play- 
ing this most delicate and complex game. 

The introduction and general adoption of 
the so-called new count, or new valuation for 
the suits (see page 108, paragraph 4), has 
necessitated the revision, and practically the 
rewriting, of a large part of this manual. The 
differences brought about are so many and 
so fundamental, the structure of the game is 
so changed, that the earnest student must 
reconstruct his ideas entirely in order to 
appreciate the possibilities now open to him 
for obtaining the full value from each hand. 
He must realize that no-trump makes occur 
less often; that royals and hearts are more 
often played in preference to no-trump; that 
unless playing to a score, both diamond and 
club bids are inf ormatory ; that the bid of two 
spades is more restricted, and that doubling 
is less a factor, as there are twice as many 
bids now for the player w^ho has been doubled 
to escape into. All these points can not 
merely be grafted upon the old game of 
Auction— they are inherent in the new game 
and their relative values must be studied and 
learned. 



THE SCHEME OE AUCTION. 



7 



STREET ON AUCTION 

CHAPTER I. 

THE SCHEME OE AUCTION. 

Most players, even those who have played a 
long time, have an entirely wrong idea of the 
game of Auction. They think that they must 
bid all the time, that it is somewhat of a dis- 
grace to say nothing, that they must make a 
constant effort to show their partner some- 
thing, and that they aren't having any excite- 
ment at all unless they bid up to two or three 
on some make and either get doubled or 
double some one else. And it is easy to see 
that if all four players play this same kind of 
game the hands are thrilling and the losses 
offset each other. But place a careful and 
conservative player at that table and with 



8 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



average cards his success is astounding, 
because the secret of success at Auction is to 
avoid large losses. 

Your opponents simply cannot win a huge 
rubber unless you deliberately pile up a big 
score for them in their honor column. If you 
never say anything but "one spade'' and ''no'' 
they may win the rubber in two successive 
games, which, with the honors and the 250 
points bonus, may run the total up to above 
400. But rubbers of 800 or 1,000 are the 
fruits of sky-rocket bidding, either founded on 
false initial bids or carried to ridiculous 
heights by players who either cannot or will 
not count their hands. 

Auction was evolved to prevent good hands 
being wasted and to allow any player hav- 
ing such a hand to play the dummy as if 
he had been the dealer at Bridge. And all bid- 
ding should be directed at finding out if you 
and your partner between you have a hand 
with which you can go game ; or if not, if you 
can prevent the adversaries from going game ; 



the: scheme: 01^ AUCTION. 



9 



or if game is not possible for either side, if 
you can make a moderate score without tak- 
ing chances for a disproportionate loss. 

Most of the time there should be but little 
bidding. It is only when two good hands 
occur at the same time, or when the rubber is 
at some critical stage, that there is much com- 
petition. The idea of trying to outbid good 
hands with poor ones is suicidal. There never 
yet has been a game where poor cards will 
beat good ones if they have to be played out. 
The bluff is successful at poker only because 
the cards may be thrown down, but hands at 
Auction always come to a showdown. The 
good poker player never goes into nor tries to 
win every pot. He waits until he has a fair 
chance. In Auction you can't expect to play 
every hand or win every rubber. You can't 
take away every bid always; the opponents 
will hold and must play some good hands, and 
it is madness not to recognize that fact. 

With good hands you can bid up to the 
limit of their possibilities, and even a trick 



10 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



beyond when the opponents' bid looks danger- 
ous ; but moderate hands, hands a shade above 
the average, you should treat with extreme 
caution; while as for poor hands, it is well to 
recognize at the start that you have nothing to 
say and nothing to do. 

What you should aim at is to win the game, 
taking as little risk as possible while you are 
waiting for the proper hand to do it with, and 
losing, if you must lose, only small rubbers. 

Nearly all games at Auction are won, when 
they are won, in a single hand. All the 8's 
and 12's and 16's you make rarely help 
much toward a game. In a minute or two 
there comes along a big heart hand or a no- 
trumper, which alone wins the game. Not 
that small scores are to be despised. Every 
score you make above or below helps swell 
your profits or diminish your losses. But 
these small profits are not worth big risks. 

Your first bid is usually a suggestion to 
your partner, after which the opponents ven- 
ture some bid. Some one may hold a good 



THE SCHEME OF AUCTION. 



11 



hand, or there may be two big hands out 
against each other, in which case the bidding 
may go on, becoming more and more danger- 
ous each step that it advances. But often you 
can see that you can't go out and that prob- 
ably the adversaries also cannot win, so that 
it ceases to be a question of the game for 
either side ; then let them play the hand unless 
your make is pretty sure. Let them take the 
chance to lose 50 or 100. What do you care if 
they do score 16, or even 24; your chance to 
go out next time is as good as theirs ; every 
deal is your deal in Auction. 

High bids are nearly always bad risks. The 
player who bids three diamonds is trying for 
21 points and taking chances to lose 50 or 100. 
The gain and the loss are not equivalent. Bear 
in mind that what you are after is the game, 
the game, first and last, the game, and shape 
all your bids to that end. 

The history of Auction shows a persistent 
progress toward conservatism. Among good 
players there is much less bidding and very 



12 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



much less doubling than formerly. A loss of 
300 or 400 is extremely rare, and when it 
occurs it is usually the result of some terribly 
adverse combination of circumstances. 



the: INlTlAIv BID. 



13 



CHAPTER 11. 
the: initial bid. 

The game of Auction is built on three 
foundation stones : these are a sound initial 
bid, a correct increase by partner, and a care- 
ful continuation by the original bidder. Let 
any one of these three elements be weak and 
your structure is liable to collapse. 

The most important of the three is the 
initial bid. As dealer you have no choice ; you 
cannot pass as in Bridge, but must make some 
bid, bearing in mind the one salient fact that 
the declaration you make will probably not be 
the iiltimate one at which the hand will be 
played, unless you have unusually strong 
cards. More often than not it will be 
changed. 

The idea of your initial bid is distinctively 
informatory and should show the character 



14 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



of your hand; it should tell not necessarily 
that you intend, or especially want, to play 
the hand at your declaration, but rather that 
at such a declaration your hand will work the 
best. Except for the defensive bid of one 
spade, your first bid generally should tell your 
partner where you can take tricks, no matter 
z^'Iiat the final bid may he at which the hand 
is played. Your bid must show high cards, 
winning cards, aces and kings. If you bid one 
no-trump you practically say that you have 
high cards scattered in three or four suits. If 
you bid one royal, one heart, one diamond or 
one club you say that you have high taking 
cards in that suit ; and, as bne spade is 
simply a passing hand, so the bid of two 
spades shows at least two tricks in a short 
spade suit with another trick outside. (AVith 
a long, strong spade suit a royal is a better 
bid.) 

It has been repeatedly said that Auction is 
a game of aces and kings, and this from the 
very nature of the game must be true. Your 



THE INITIAL BID. 



15 



bid, to be of any real worth, must show cards 
of permanent value, and these are aces and 
kings. There are eight aces and kings in 
the pack, and unless two fall together they 
are good for eight tricks, and all the queens, 
jacks and tens must skirmish for the remain- 
ing five. When you bid one diamond, hold- 
ing ace, king and two others, you tell your 
partner you can take two tricks probably no 
matter what the final trump may be. But if 
you bid one diamond on six to the queen, jack, 
ten, you make a false bid, as you can take 
tricks only when diamonds are trumps, and, 
as has been said before, they probably won't 
remain trumps. In the first case, with your 
ace king suit, you give your partner precise, 
definite, valuable information; in the second, 
with your queen jack ten suit, you say what is 
not true, you lead your partner astray and 
you often bring about a cruel loss. Again, 
with your ace king suit you have two of the 
eight high cards, your average, but with only 
a queen jack ten suit you haven't a trick in 



16 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



your hand. Make this your test; when you 
sort your hand don't look for long suits, look 
for aces and kings. If you have three of these 
eight cards you are better than the average 
and may have a bid in your hand; if you 
have two, you have just your average and 
may possibly have a bid; but with only one 
your hand is below the average and probably 
contains no bid. 

Remember that your success depends 
largely upon you and your partner arriving 
quickly at a good understanding. Auction 
is intensely a partnership game. If you and 
your partner could withdraw to the next 
room and show each other your hands you 
could quickly decide upon your best plan of 
action. But instead, all this must be arrived 
at speedily in the bidding. Don't for a 
moment lose sight of the fact that you should 
think more about your partner in your bidding 
than about your opponents. When your 
opponents outbid you, you have only to resign 
and usually no harm is done. But if you 



THE INITIAL BID. 



17 



begin by giving false information to your 
partner, and he, always relying upon you for 
an available two tricks, goes ahead and bids 
up his hand or doubles the adversaries', you 
have involved both him and yourself in a coil 
which is purely your fault, and you are power- 
less to undo. And if this can happen with a 
sound and careful partner, just think to what 
disasters you may be swept by a partner who 
is obstinate, sanguine or hot-headed. 

An ace king suit is the ideal one to bid on ; 
here are your tw^o probably assured tricks 
ready to support your partner in any bid he 
may attempt. In fact, the first thought that 
should enter your mind when your partner 
bids a royal, a heart, a diamond, or a club, is 
that he has an ace king suit. But as one unfor- 
tunately has not always such a suit, the natural 
query arises, ''What other combinations are 
valuable enough to show?'' And the answer 
is, "All that will stand the following test:'' 
As your partner counts upon you for the ace 
and the king of your suit, when you haven't 



18 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



them both you must have compensation else- 
where. 

It is sound to bid on a suit of five to the 
ace king, but not on five to the ace queen, as 
if your bid is changed you may have but one 
trick. But it is all right to bid on five to the 
ace queen, if you have another trick outside 
like the ace of clubs or the king and queen 
of hearts. You have not what you advertise 
in your suit, but you oft^er an equivalent, a 
trick elsewhere. But that trick must be 
quickly available, an ace or a well-guarded 
king; nothing else counts, not even a queen 
jack ten combination; that is too far off and 
takes too long to materialize. 

This then is the tale your initial bid tells : 
'Tartner, I may have a hand I want to play at 
my declaration, or I may be trying to give you 
some information which will help you in a bid 
of your own; but whichever it is I have at 
least two quickly available tricks in my hand 
which will be good on either the first or the 



THE INITIAL BID. 



19 



second round of the suit, no matter what may 
be the trump/' 

There is, however, one class of sound 
declarations not covered by the foregoing, and 
that is long suits of six or more, headed by 
ace, by king and queen, or by king, jack and 
ten, not lower. These suits will be of no 
value unless they are trumps, they are not 
good to help other makes with, being especially 
dangerous in no-trump hands, and yet will 
probably win you the odd card if you are 
left in with the bid. Yet such suits, long 
as they are, are not particularly good unless 
there is some other possibility of a trick in 
the hand — some king or queen which, although 
not in itself of great value, may so combine 
with the dummy as to produce a trick. Also 
suits of six headed by queen jack ten can be 
bid when you have two sure tricks outside, 
like two aces, or another ace king suit, or an 
ace and a king queen suit. Any one of these 
bids naturally deceives your partner and may 
lead him to venture another declaration; but 



20 



STREET OX AUCTION. 



your defense is this, you must not let h:s ::d 
sta'iid, you must outbid him and change back 
to your suit. For example, you bid one heart 
and he bids one no-trump, counting on you for 
two tricks in heans or an equivalent else- 
where. If now you bid two hearts, you sound 
a note of warning : in fact, you really say this : 
"I have my two tricks, but they will be tricks 
only if Jiearfs are fy y ." In other v/ords. 
your hand is good enough to bid on and prob- 
ably to win with, :ut it has not an adjustable 
value. The hearts are not the right kind of 
hearts to help a no-trimip. but as trimips. 
Vvdth the high cards in a no-trimiper for 
assistance, they v^nll probably v/in out. 

Under the old count, such bids were good 
only in the red suits, but with the new count, 
Vvdiere it is possible to go out on any suit bid. 
they are equally good in all suits, though 
naturally better in royals and hearts, as fewer 
tricks are needed for the game. 

With no other ace or king in the hand, no 
suit of diamonds or clubs should be shown 



THE INITIAL BID. 



21 



originally unless headed by ace king, by ace 
queen jack, or by king queen jack. King jack 
ten suits are good only with an outside trick. 
Unless playing to the score all diamond and 
club bids must be considered as invitations to 
your partner to make some higher and more 
costly bid, usually no-trump, and are designed 
to coax him into some bid he would not other- 
wise make. If his hand is strong enough to 
bid on unaided, your bid is not necessary and 
it would be better to save your strength to 
help him with later if he should be outbid. 
If his hand is not strong enough for a bid 
you are simply tempting him on to some 
venture which may prove desperate. See to 
it, therefore, that the material you offer him 
is sound and serviceable. 

It may seem reasonable at first glance to 
bid one on any suit of seven to the queen jack 
ten even with no other high cards, hut the bid 
will almost surely be changed, and if your 
partner bids one no-trump, counting on your 
suit, he probably won't take a trick in your 



22 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



hand unless he has ace, king and one small ; 
but if he has those cards, your bid was cer- 
tainly useless, and in fact may prove dis- 
astrous, as he will say: ''My partner could 
not have bid on a queen-high suit without 
compensation elsewhere and therefore he 
bids his hand up and up, and if an expensive 
catastrophe occurs it is your fault. 

Therefore, let your original bid be sound 
and accurate, showing high cards of value or 
long, strong suits which you mean to insist 
upon although your partner changes your bid. 

Don't be led astray by the desire to shoiv 
your partner something when you haven't the 
right kind of cards to show. Fix it in your 
partner's mind that you can be depended upon. 
It is better far to have more than you have 
promised than to have less. You thereby 
become a more popular partner and a more 
respected antagonist. But don't carry this 
idea too far; don't lie in wait and make a weak 
make when you have a stronger one in your 
hand. That was the first idea of the game and 



THE dealer's make. 



23 



has been thoroughly threshed out and found 
to be false. 

Declare the strength of your hand at once. 
If you have a no-trumper don't begin with a 
club or a diamond and give the adversaries a 
chance to show their suits and combine to 
defeat your no-trumper when you later launch 
it. Bid it at once and put the onus on them 
of bidding two on some suit while still in the 
dark as to each other's cards. 



24 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE dealer's make. 

All bids, except the safety make of one 
spade or the invitation make of two spades, 
now fall naturally into three classes: 

No-trumps, needing three tricks for game. 

Royals or hearts, needing four tricks for 
game. 

Diamonds or clubs, needing five tricks for 
game. 

NO TRUMP. 

With two exceptions (see sub-head 3, ''Two 
Aces/' below) all no-trump declarations which 
were good in Bridge are good in Auction. 
But now that you have against your no-trumps 
two such sterling bids as royals and hearts 
which need only a trick more apiece for the 
game, together with two other suit bids which 

/ 



THE) dealer's make. 



25 



can possibly win the game, it is easy to see 
that no-trumps have shrunk in importance and 
are not played nearly so often as formerly. 
Bearing in mind, therefore, the lively com- 
petition that your no-trumps are likely to 
encounter, it is well to be a little more con- 
servative than hitherto and eschew the airy, 
light informatory makes once so popular with 
many players. When you declare one no- 
trump you do not say necessarily that you 
have a fine no-trumper which you are anxious 
to play ; you simply say that at present that is 
the character of your hand; if your partner 
prefers to change to some other make you can 
assist him with some valuable cards. If your 
no-trumper is really good you can go back 
to it, but when it is not superlatively good, 
and especially when you can help the make 
your partner has announced, it is better to let 
his make stand. 

All no-trumpers are properly estimated 
according to the number of aces they contain 
and are therefore here listed on that basis. 



26 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



1. FOUR ACES. 

^^llile this is naturally an ideal and attract- 
ive make at the start, yet it often must be 
abandoned later in the face of a strong attack 
by the adversary, or a warning change by 
partner. 

2. THREE ACES. 

With three aces, no matter how bad the 
rest of the hand may be, you should always 
declare one no-trump unless the hand contains 
a good royal or heart make, or you are de- 
claring to a score, in which case one diamond, 
or even one club, may be preferable. 

3. TWO ACES. 

To declare one no-trump with two aces you 
have to have not only one other trick, such 
as a guarded king, or a queen, jack and low, 
but also the possibility of a fourth trick in 
your hand. 

There are two good two ace hands, how- 
ever, in which it is better to declare a suit 



THE dealer's make. 27 

make rather than no-trump. The first is a 
solid suit and another ace. In Bridge this 
was a no-trumper, but in Auction it is unneces- 
sary to take useless chances with two missing 
suits, in fact a no-trumper should always have 
three suits protected ; it is better to bid one on 
your suit at once. Then if your partner goes 
no-trump you can change back to your suit 
if it is royals or hearts, but can let the no- 
trump stand if your solid suit is diamonds or 
clubs. Also with tw^o ace king suits, again a 
Bridge make, it is better to declare that one 
of the suits first which is the higher, and 
have the other to come forward with if you 
are outbid, and thus give your partner a 
chance to make a no-trumper or to help you 
on whichever of the two makes suits his hand 
the best. 

4. ONE ACE. 

One ace no-trumpers are always dangerous. 
With three aces you at least have 30 to offset 
a possible loss; when you have but two aces 



28 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



your partner will have one ace two out of three 
times, w^hile even if he has none, the honors 
can never lie against you. But with only one 
ace your partner is not likely to have more 
than one, and sometimes will not have that, 
which of course makes your loss more prob- 
able, besides increasing it by 30. To venture 
upon a one ace no-trumper you must have 
extra strength in your hand. There are three 
cases where such a make is sound. 

(a) You can make it no-trump with one 
ace when you have all suits protected. But 
they must be well protected, not all queen 
jack suits or jack ten suits. A good test for a 
doubtful hand is not to make it unless you 
hold a queen above the average. If you hold 
one ace, one king, one queen, one jack and 
one ten you have exactly an average hand. 
To make it worth a no-trump bid you should 
hold at least another queen. Such a bid will 
win more often than it wnll lose. 

(b) You can make it no-trump with one 
ace when you also have another long suit that 



THE dEai^Hr's make. 



29 



can readily be cleared and a third suit pro- 
tected. 

(c) You can make it no-trump with one 
ace and one unprotected suit when your hand 
is unusually strong in the other three suits ; 
except that here you must have a king above 
the average. 

5. NO ACES. 

A no-trumper without an ace should be 
made only when you have high honors in all 
the suits, with at least three kings. But 
remember unless you can stop twice the suit 
they open against you, you may have to ruin 
your hand by discarding. 

EXAMPLES 0^ SOUND NO-TRUMP MAKES. 

O A 7 2 

No. 1. 2 5 4 

♦ A 6 4 2 

♦ K Q 3 2 

Purely an informatory make; one that you 
don't care especially to play, but, if you are 
left in with it, will not lose much, as your part- 



30 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



ner must have some high cards, else the adver- 
saries would have bid. You have a chance for 
a fourth trick in spades. 



4 3 

No. 2. ^2^' 
^ A9 8 6 

♦ Q J 2 

Practically the same as number one, with a 
possible fourth trick in diamonds. 



4 Q 10 4 2 

A good example of all suits protected in a 
one ace no-trumiper which contains a queen 
above the average. 



No. 4. 



7 5 
0^74 
4^ KQ J 5 2 
♦ KQ 8 



A one ace no-trumper containing a good 
suit and a third suit protected. If the clubs 
were headed by the king ten, or the queen 
jack ten, the make would not be sound. 



THE dealer's make. 



31 



No. 5. 



CP 9 4 

^ A 8 3 

^ K Q 6 3 

^ KJ102 



In spite of the weak hearts the rest of the 
hand is strong enough to make it a no- 
trumper. 



A no-trumper without an ace, but holding 
three kings and three queens. Yet this hand 
may work very badly if your partner has a 
poor hand and you lose the king of hearts at 
once and have to discard while they make 
that suit. 

EXAMPLES OF UNSOUND NO-TRUMP MAKES. 



^ J 10 9 3 

The jack ten suit certainly contains a pos- 
sible trick, but it is too remote, while there is 



No. 6. 



^ K 8 6 

KQJ 2 

* K Q 3 

♦ Q J 5 



No. 1. 



^ A 4 2 

5 3 

* A 8 6 2 



32 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



no possibility of a fourth trick in the hand. 
Save your two aces to help any make your 
partner may have; if he has no make you 
won't go far at no-trump. Bid one spade. 

C? J 10 7 5 
No 2 Q 5 3 

♦ K 5 2 

Just an average hand ; one not worth a bid. 
Bid one spade. 



K 7 6 
XT a 0^4 

* Q J 2 

^ K 8 7 6 3 

This is a bad no-trumper, as the suits are 
all too thin and there is no support. You 
would better save your kings for your part- 
ner's help. The spade suit is too poor even 
to venture a royal bid. Bid one spade. 



C> A K 7 6 5 
ISO. 4. V ^ ^ 

4 A Q J 8 2 



the: dkaldr's make:. 



33 



Although you have three aces you will 
probably do better at royals or hearts, as you 
are likely to lose the ace of diamonds at once 
and then will have to clear the hearts or 
spades. Bid one royal first and if outbid try 
two hearts. 

5 4 
No. 5. AK95 2 
4^ 4 3 
4 A K 4 3 

Better here to bid two spades and have 
your diamond bid in reserve for the second 
round. 

O A 6 5 

No. 6. i 2 

A K Q J 7 4 

4 6 4 2 

Better here to bid one club. This will coax 
your partner into a no-trumper if he has a 
fair hand, and will not alarm greatly an adver- 
sary with a good no-trumper. Your bid of 
one club promises high cards and your con- 
tinuation, if you are attacked, will show extra 
strength. 



34 



STREET OX AUCTION. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE DEALER S MAKE. 
ROYALS OR HEARTS. 

One royal or heart should be bid with the 
following combinations : 

1. AKxxx 1 



AQ Jxx 
K Q J X X 
KQ lOxx 

A O X X X 
K f lOxx 
AO Jx 
KQJx 
K 10 X 
A J X X X 
K O X X X 



A 10 X X X 
K J X X X 
K lOxxx 
Q J 10 XX 



even though you hold 

} no other aces or kings 

I 

J 



in the hand. 

with one sure outside 
trick such as an ace, or 
> a king and queen to- 
gether, or a king jack 
ten suit. 

with two good outside 
tricks or with another 
five-card suit containing 
a good trick, but not 
when the rest of the 
hand is evenly divided. 



r 



THE dealer's make. 



35 



Any suit of six royals or hearts headed by 
ace, by king queen, or by king jack ten, should 
be declared originally if there is a possibility 
in the hand of another trick. This declaration 
you must continue with; if your partner goes 
to no-trump you must bid two in your suit. 

An original bid of two royals or two hearts 
is rarely advantageous zi'ifh an established 
suit, as you might prefer to bring it in against 
an opponent's no-trumper. But such a bid 
is often profitable with a very long unestab- 
lished suit that would be good neither to assist 
a no-trumper by your partner nor to bring in 
against one by the enemy. But remember 
when you bid two you not only demand to 
play the hand, but you also promise to suc- 
ceed in your contract, unaided, except rarely 
when bidding to a score, when you can count 
upon one trick from your partner. 

EXAMPLES OF SOUND MAKES IN ROYALS OR 
HEARTS. 

Note. — The bid here illustrated is always 
hearts, but it would be equally sound in 
royals were the suits reversed. 



36 



stre:et on auction. 



A Q 6 3 2 
4 2 
♦ A 7 5 
4^83 



n A K J 5 2 
A 8 6 
4^ A 7 3 2 



(;? A J 7 5 3 

A 8 6 

♦ 543 

4 3 2 



^ K Q J 5 

6 4 

♦ 873 

♦ A 10 8 5 



O K J 5 3 2 

4 

♦ A K 5 

4 8 6 4 2 



^ K 10 9 6 4 

7 5 

♦ A J 6 3 7 

♦ 9 





♦ 



K Q 7 6 4 3 

K Q 

7 4 3 

6 2 




♦ 



Q J 10 6 4 
5 4 
A K 
7 2 



7 3 



KQ 10 9643 
7 4 
♦ A Q J 
4 3 



This last is a sound example of a two- 
heart bid. 



THE DEAI^KR'S make. 



37 



EXAMPLES OF UNSOUND MAKES IN ROYAI.S OR 
HEARTS. 

Note. — Equally true when the suit is royals 
instead of hearts. 





A 6 5 4 3 





K J 8 6 5 




9 2 





A 7 6 




8 5 4 




9 3 2 




K7 6 




8 4 




Q J 8 4 3 2 




K 10 8 6 4 3 





9 8 3 





9 5 




K 4 




3 2 




3 2 




A S 3 



In the last two cases a heart bid is good 
on the second round. Begin with one spade. 



38 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



CHAPTER V. 
THE dEai^er's make. 

DIAMONDS OR CI.UBS. 

As it is very difficult from a zero score to 
take eleven tricks and win the game in dia- 
monds or clubs, these makes must be con- 
sidered as informatory or invitation makes. 

At no score most original diamond and 
club bids are designed to coax your partner 
into a bid he would not otherwise make ; there- 
fore they must show positive tricks. Occasion- 
ally a long and strong suit can be bid on as in 
royals and hearts with the idea of continuing 
with it and thereby showing that the hand is 
good only at that make. 

One diamond or one club should be bid 
with the following combination : 



THE dealer's make. 



39 



1. A K X X X 
AQJxx 

2. A K X X 
AQxx 
A J X X X 
KQJxx 

3. AQJx 
KQ Jx 
KQlOx 
A Q X X X 
A lOx X X 
KJ lOxx 



even with no other ace 
or king in your hand. 

with an outside ace or 
> an outside king queen 
suit. 



w^ith an outside ace or 
king queen suit, or 
j another short ace king 
suit. 



A suit of six to the ace, to the king queen, 
or to the king jack ten can be bid upon with 
another trick outside : or a six-card suit to 
the queen jack ten, when there are two out- 
side tricks. 

An original bid of two diamonds or two 
clubs should be made only with a long un- 
established suit in a hand with eight tricks by 
itself. This bid occurs more often when you 
have a score and think you have a chance for 
the game at your make. 



40 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



EXAMPLES OE SOUND DIAMOND OR CLUB 
MAKES. 

Note. — The make here illustrated is always 
clubs. It would be equally sound in diamonds 
if the suits were reversed. 






5 3 2 


C7 


8 6 4 





8 6 





A 7 


4^ 


K Q J 7 5 




A Q J 2 




A 5 3 




8 6 5 4 


c 


A 6 2 


C? 


7 5 





7 5 





A K 4 




K J 10 7 6 


4^ 


A 10 9 6 3 




K 3 2 




7 5 2 


EXAMPLES OF UNSOUND DIAMOND OR CLUB 




MAKES. 






4 3 




A 4 





8 6 2 





3 




A Q 7 5 3 




K 10 8 7 5 3 




8 5 4 




8 7 6 5 




7 5 




7 2 





9 8 3 





8 6 3 




A J 8 6 4 




K J 8 6 4 3 




K 5 3 




5 2 




C7 5 


4 3 






3 


2 






* Q 


J 10 8 


6 3 




♦ A 


2 





THE DEAI^ER'S make. 



41 



This last is very alluring to the novice, but 
as the bid will probably be changed, you, by 
declaring clubs, have told your partner you 
can take tricks in clubs and you haven't one 
in your hand. 



42 



stre:et on auction. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE dealer's make. 
SPADES. 

As a one spade declaration simply shows a 
poor hand, and really tells nothing about the 
spade suit, so the bid of two spades is now 
universally recognized as showing strength in 
spades with at least one other outside trick 
and should never be made with a weak spade 
suit. Such a bid w^as formerly used for an 
invitation to a no-trumper with a fair hand 
that had poor spades in it, but that was an 
arbitrary convention and the idea of it has 
been found to be false. The bid of two spades 
to-day, among players of note, means a short, 
high spade suit good for two tricks with one 
other trick somewhere else. 

The ideal two spade make used to be a solid 
spade suit. Nowadays such a suit is declared 



THE dealer's make. 



43 



at once as royals. Two spades should be bid 
with the following combinations when they 
occur in suits of four cards or fewer: 



Two spades should never be bid with a 
spade suit queen high. 

A two spade bid usually, therefore, shows 
strength in spades and in one other suit. With 
three suits protected it is nearly always a no- 
trumper, while a long and strong spade suit 
should be at once declared as a royal. 

EXAMPLES OF ONE SPADE BIDS. 

9 Q 10 6432 O 9743 
$K5 OAJ765 
4^862 *J632 



1. AKQ 

KQIO 
AK 



r 



with another ace, or a 
short king queen suit. 



AQJ 
KQJ 



♦ 7 4 



C> 9 7 5 

3 

A KJ96432 

4^ 3 2 



C7 6 5 4 3 

5 4 

4. 8 5 

^ A Q 7 6 4 



44 



strp:et on auction. 



EXAMPI^ES 01^ SOUND TWO SPADE BIDS. 

9732 C7A64 
0863 0732 
♦ A976 4^7642 
^ A K Q ♦ K Q J 



C? 8 7 

9 7 6 4 

♦ K Q 5 2 

♦ A Q 3 2 



9 4 3 2 

A J 6 4 

♦ 765 

♦ AQJ 



EXAMPLES 01? UNSOUND TWO SPADE BIDS. 

C?84 Oj875 

OaQ7 O532 

♦ 7 5 ♦ 

^ QJ 10 732 ^ AQJ654 

These two hands should be royals. 






Q42 




7 6 3 





7 6 5 





Q 9 8 




Q 7 3 




K 3 2 




A J 8 4 




K 10 5 4 




8 3 2 




6 5 4 





A Q 7 4 





8 7 3 




5 3 




9 5 2 




Q J 10 2 


4 


A K 7 3 



These should all be declared one spade. 



MARKS TO THE SCORE). 



45 



CHAPTER VIL 

MAKES TO THE SCORE. 

When you are 12 or more on the game you 
have more latitude in bidding and are entitled 
to declare any suit with which you think you 
have a fair chance to win the game. Here 
long suits in diamonds, and even in clubs, 
leap into prominence. Therefore your part- 
ner, with the score constantly in mind, must 
not credit you with quite the same material 
that you would have to have at a zero score. 
Nor must he make much of an efifort to change 
your make into something higher, but more 
doubtful, when he has help for your bid. The 
point of winning the game is the vital thing. 
It is absurd to imperil a good chance to do so 
by trying to make twenty or thirty points more 
on the score. Between a certain club make 
and a dubious no-trumper, be content to insure 
the game with the more modest club and not 
indulge in a doubtful venture for inadequate 
returns. 



46 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SECOND BIDDER. 

As second bidder you have a choice of three 
courses of action: 

1. YOU CAN DOUBLE THE BID ALREADY 

MADE. 

2. YOU CAN PASS. 

3. YOU CAN DECLARE SOME NEW SUIT. 



1. DOUBLING THE BID ALREADY MADE. 

If one Spade has been bid and you can take 
two quickly available tricks in spades, together 
with one other outside trick, you can double, 
even though holding only three in the suit. 
The proper combinations to double a one spade 
bid with are A K, A Q J, K Q J, K Q 10, 
alone or with others. One spade bids are 
probably going to be changed anyway, and 
your double is a helpful suggestion to your 



THE SECOND BIDDER. 



47 



partner towards any make he may wish to 
declare. 

But one spade is about the only single bid 
you can double second hand. No matter 
how strong you may be, it is unwise to double 
a bid of one no-trump, one royal, one heart, 
one diamond, or one club, as such a double 
simply drives the adversary into another 
declaration. A good axiom is this : // the 
adversary's bid suits your hand don't disturb 
it, 

2. PASSING. 

If you cannot double a spade bid and have 
no thoroughly good bid of your own to make, 
you should pass. Remember you are not com- 
pelled to bid, you can always pass. Don't try 
to make any declaration unless you have a 
really strong suit, one that is worth trying for 
the game with, or contains valuable high cards 
which you want to offer your partner. 

' Especially should this be observed after a 
one spade bid. Too many players are prone 
to bid after the initial declaration of one 



48 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



spade; they do not seem to realize that by 
passing they often place the third bidder in 
a most awkward position. He is apt, whether 
justifiably or not, to make some desperate 
effort to take his partner out of the one spade 
bid, and often declares some suit which you 
or your partner can double with magnificent 
results. To bid anything after a one spade 
bid you should have a hand stronger than 
ordinary, one that looks towards game. 

3. DECI.ARING SOME NEW SUIT. 

As stated in the preceding paragraph, after 
a one spade bid you must have a really strong 
declaration to bid on any new suit. 

After an original bid of two spades, one 
diamond or one club, which are all rather 
tentative invitations to the partner for a no- 
trump make, second hand can often, with a 
fair hand, bid on some long suit which would 
not be good enough to bid on originally; such 
as six hearts to the king jack, as an indica- 
tion to his partner of what to lead him if the 
adversary beyond does make no-trump. 



the: second bidder. 



49 



It is often proper and reasonable to outbid 
some suit with a declaration of higher value 
when you have a good bid, but you must be 
chary about attacking a no-trump with a bid 
of two in some suit. If either one of the 
opponents happens to be long in your suit, and 
they choose to drop their bid and double 
yours, you probably will have no chance to 
escape and will incur a material loss. 

Remember that it is pretty hard to get two 
odd against a no-trump make unless your part- 
ner has good help for you; that if he has such 
help and if you get your two you are still a 
long way off from game; and that with such 
help from him you will probably be able to 
beat the no-trumper for larger profits than 
your make will net you. The 12 or 16 you are 
trying for counts little on the rubber, but 50 
or 100 in the honor column is always an 
anchor to windward. The idea of bidding two 
on some suit to push the opponents up 
to two no-trumps, thereby making them an 
easier prey for you, was a most delightful 



50 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



theory as long as they accepted your chal- 
lenge and were pushed, but your opponents 
may have had some trying lessons and may 
decline to be pushed, with the result that you 
have relieved them of a losing contract only 
to assume it yourself. 

The introduction of royals into the game 
has affected many players as a new toy 
afifects its childish possessor; they want to 
play with them all the time. You see players 
constantly bidding second in hand on a suit 
of royals which, were it hearts, they never 
would dream of bidding upon, such as K 10 
X X X or Q J X X X X. Yet with royals more 
than with any other suit, you should not bid 
second in hand, especially after a bid of 
one spade, unless the suit is both good 
and strong; unless, in fact it is a suit which 
you would have declared originally. Because 
as long as the one spade stays in, in case 
the dealer's partner cannot bid and your part- 
ner decides not to, you will probably make 
more profit with their spade bid than with 



THE SECOND BIDDER. 



51 



your own royal bid unless it should prove to 
be a game hand which does not seem likely 
in case your partner cannot bid. Fifty or a 
hundred on their spade bid is better than you 
can do with only a fair royal bid, and if any 
one else bids you can bid royals later if you 
wish to. With a good, strong suit of royals, 
such as you would have declared originally, 
you should bid it second hand, but unless it is 
really good it is better to wait. Their spade 
m.ake suits your hand; why try to change it. 



52 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE THIRD BIDDER. 

As third bidder you have heard from your 
partner and therefore have a choice of four 
courses of action: 

1. YOU CAN DOUBIvE ANY BID THE SECOND 

BIDDER HAS MADE. 

2. YOU CAN PASS. 

3. YOU CAN BID A NEW SUIT. 

4. YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR PARTNER'S BID. 



1. DOUBI.ING. 

If your partner has bid one spade, you as 
third bidder can practically never double a 
bid made second hand ; if such a bid suits you, 
your best plan is to keep silent and hope it 
will be played. But after a strong bid by 
your partner, especially no-trumps, if second 
hand attacks with two of a suit, you at third 
hand can double when strong in that suit. 



THE THIRD BIDDER. 



53 



The opponents will probably have difficulty in 
escaping and you are giving your partner the 
option of letting the double stand or continu- 
ing with his no-trump if he thinks he can 
go game. 

Also, after your partner's royal or heart 
make, if second hand goes no-trump, you can 
double with a very strong hand, as they 
may not be able to change their no-trump bid 
without getting into worse difficulties. And 
if they do change and you are unable to 
double their second bid you can go on with 
your partner's original bid and try for the 
game. 

But in doubling try to figure out where 
your profits will be the largest, and remember 
that the double is not final, that the suit can 
be changed, and if such a change seems prob- 
able it may be wiser to let the bid stand. 

2. PASSING. 

After your partner's bid of one spade, if 
second hand has bid some suit, you must be 
unusually strong to venture any bid, as you 



54 



stre:i:t on auction. 



cannot expect much help from a one spade 
hand. 

If second hand has passed you would better 
let the one spade stand unless you have a very 
good bid of your own. Your maximum loss 
at one spade is 100, and you can't tell what 
you may lose if any poor bid you make is 
doubled. Don't feel compelled always to take 
your partner out of a one-spade hid. With 
poor or moderate hands it is better to face a 
limited loss than to invite a catastrophe. Pass- 
ing after any other bid of your partner has 
been attacked by second hand shows one of 
two things ; either that you have but one trick 
at most and can't increase his bid, or that you 
like the opponent's bid and prefer to try to 
beat him. 

But passing when your partner's bid has 
not been attacked shows nothing: you may 
have untold riches in reserve ready to 
announce when you are needed. Yet many 
players who have been outbid by fourth hand 
after second hand and partner have both 



THE THIRD BIDDER. 



55 



passed, say, '*AIy partner cannot have much, 
as he said nothing.'' But he had no need to 
say anything. Your make may have suited 
his hand beautifully. It is only when second 
hand has bid and partner has passed that his 
hand can be judged. 

3. BIDDING SOME NEW SUIT. 

If your partner bids one spade you should 
not bid on any other suit unless you think 
your loss on that suit will not exceed 100 
points. As a rule it is useless making inform- 
atory bids after your partner has bid one 
spade, so you are restricted to bids on which 
you are trying for the odd, or at least to lose 
not more than one. Your loss on the one 
spade bid is limited and you have that pro- 
tection. 

If your partner bids two spades or one 
club, or one diamond, he is inviting you to 
make some higher bid if possible, usually no- 
trump. After such an invitation you 
should go to no-trump with a fair hand if the 
second bidder has passed, or even if he has 



56 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



bid, if you can stop his suit. Even when you 
cannot stop his suit you can make it no-trump 
with a very good hand. He probably will not 
make a seven-card suit against you ; such suits 
are exceptional and players holding them will 
usually bid on them twice, not knowing how 
dangerous the no-trump may prove to be. 
Sometimes after an invitation bid by your 
partner you cannot make it no-trump, but can, 
in your turn, show your partner some suit. 
For example: He bids one club, second hand 
passes, you have a good strong diamond suit 
and little else, so you bid one diamond ; fourth 
hand bids a heart, and your partner, with a 
stop in hearts, can bid one no-trump, as the 
royals, not having been heard from, are apt 
to be evenly divided. 

You can change any lower bid of your 
partner to one heart, one royal or one no- 
trump, as that is a move in the right direc- 
tion and you are trying to win the game with 
fewer tricks. But usually you should not 
change his royal or heart bid to no-trumps 



THE THIRD BIDDER. 



57 



unless you have good strength in all the other 
suits, and are short and weak in his suit; 
practically never when you hold ace or king 
unless the rest of the hand is wonderful, and 
never with any short and unprotected suit. 
All the above are progressive bids. But 
there is another class of bids which are in the 
nature of a retograde movement, like chang- 
ing a no-trump bid to two in some suit 
although second hand has said nothing. 
As you are deliberately changing his bid 
to another with which it will be more 
difficult to win the game, such a declaration 
must be regarded as a danger signal that 
should be heeded. For example : Your part- 
ner bids one no-trump, second hand passes, 
you hold five hearts to the queen, ten and 
nothing else, so you bid two hearts. You 
have no help at all for a no-trump unless your 
partner has ace and king of hearts with one 
low one, but if this is the case you have an 
excellent heart make, and if not you probably 
will never take a trick for him at no-trump, 



58 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



and thus leave him to take seven tricks 
unaided. But by overbidding him with 
hearts, although you increase the contract by 
one, you can probably take two or three tricks 
in hearts, and really make on the change. 
When you bid two hearts he must understand 
that you are telling him that you have the 
wrong kind of hearts for a no-trumper. If 
you had had five hearts to the ace king, that 
would have been the right kind of help and 
you would have said nothing. After your bid 
of two hearts, if he has a hand worth the 
game, or one which is very strong elsewhere 
and weak in hearts, he can change back to 
two no-trumps and no harm is done. But 
often he is thankful to be relieved of the 
danger of playing a light, informatory no- 
trumper with a bad dummy, and many times 
the heart make suits his hand splendidly and 
a big score or a game is won, where at no- 
trump only one odd, or perhaps a loss, would 
have resulted. 

Occasionally you may have a hand where 



THE THIRD BIDDER. 



59 



you have strong royals or hearts and another 
good five-card suit, with the two remaining 
suits conspicuously weak. This kind of hand 
it is always better to play at a trump make, 
so here again you should take away your part- 
ner's no-trump bid. But whether you are out- 
bidding him from strength or from weakness 
no confusion should result. You simply say 
that you feel sure the hand will work better at 
a trump make. 

But for all these take-out bids you must 
have at least five cards, headed by any two 
honors such as king jack, queen ten, etc. With 
a five-card suit to the ace, king, even if the 
rest of the hand is bad, you should let the no- 
trump stand. With a single honor or with 
no honor you might just as well let him 
struggle along with his own make; he prob- 
ably wont lose more on his bid than you will 
on yours. 

With any six-card suit, unless the rest of 
the hand is exceptionally strong, you should 
outbid his no-trumper except with a diamond 
or club suit headed by ace and king. 



60 



stree:t on auction. 



These danger signals are applicable not 
only to the bid of no-trumps, but also to the 
different suit bids. But there is a great dis- 
tinction which should be made. While you 
constantly overbid your partner's no-trumper 
from weakness, you should not overbid his 
royal or heart make with two of a lower 
suit except when you are very weak in his 
suit and have a thoroughly good suit of your 
own. 

4. INCREASING partner's BID. 

As this case may occur not only with the 
fourth bidder, but with every bidder after 
the first round of bidding, it is explained at 
length in the next chapter. 



INCREASING PARTNER^'S BID. 



61 



CHAPTER X. 

INCREASING partner's BID. 

When your partner makes his bid he does 
not expect to find your hand a perfect blank; 
he expects an average number of queens, jacks 
and tens, and also one distinct trick. The 
tabulated analysis of hundreds of hands shows 
that eighty-nine times out of one hundred your 
partner's hand will contain at least one trick. 
Therefore, if you are the partner and your 
hand has an ace or a king well guarded, and a 
few scattered queens, jacks and tens, you have 
exactly what your partner presupposes you 
to have; that has already been counted into 
his make, and has been discounted beforehand. 
Therefore, to increase his liability, to under- 
take to make another trick you must have 
another trick besides the one he credits you 
with. The logical conclusion is that you have 



62 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



no right to increase your partner's bid unless 
you can supply him with two tricks. In a 
declared trump hand such tricks must 
be aces, kings guarded by queens or 
by jack tens, singletons and missing suits, 
and the queen of trumps with at least one 
other. No other queens or jacks should be 
counted as tricks. A missing suit with at 
least two trumps is good for two tricks and 
can be counted as an increase. So also a 
singleton ace counts as two tricks and can 
be used for an increase. 

Be careful about increasing your partner's 
trunip make when you have only two, a single- 
ton, or chicane in trumps. Although you 
may have two tricks outside, your hand must 
be stronger than usual to make the increase 
reasonable. With such hands it is better to 
wait and see if he can bid a second time (show- 
ing six tricks). If he can do that, proving that 
he has a really strong suit, you can help him 
when he is again attacked. So that such a 
bid by you after you have passed once, should 
mean two tricks but weakness in trumps. 



INCREASING partner's BID. 



63 



Avoid the folly of increasing your partner's 
trump bid just because you have four or five 
more trumps. He probably doesn't want more 
trumps ; what he wants is side cards that will 
take tricks. The ace or the king of trumps 
of course counts for a trick ; also the queen of 
trumps with one guard, as it usually takes 
three rounds to exhaust trumps. But the jack 
of trumps, even with four others, is of little 
value unless there is also some singleton or 
missing suit in the hand, whereupon the single- 
ton or the missing suit is really the reason for 
the increase and not the five trumps. Yet the 
idea is persistent and prevalent that unless you 
have strength in trumps you ought not to help 
your partner, and that four or five more is 
just what he wants the most. There is hardly 
a player of Auction who has not suffered from 
this mania, when his partner has carried his 
bid up and up and after the deadly double 
has been administered by the opponent, has 
proudly laid down a poor, evenly divided hand 
containing five trumps with the remark: 



64 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



''There partner, that ought to help!" It 
usually does help the opponent to 200 or 300. 
And yet this kind of player never seems to 
learn and is always bewailing his hard luck. 
There is such a disease as ''trumpitis'' — the 
holding of too many trumps and not enough 
else. It is well to become immune to that 
early in the battle; a very light attack should 
suffice. However, four or five trumps, includ- 
ing the ace or the king, together with tn^o two- 
card suits can be counted as an increase as 
you probably can trump off one of the two 
two-card suits for your partner or develop 
your long suit for a trick or two. 

Sometimes you have splendid help for 3^our 
partner's bid, three or four tricks, and you 
would like to prevent the fourth bidder from 
helping his partner. Here you can make a 
so-called ''double jump," and increase your 
partner's bid by two instead of by one. For 
example : Your partner bids one heart and 
second hand bids a royal. You have no royals, 
the king and several hearts, and the ace of 



INCREASING partner's BID. 65 

clubs. You bid not two hearts by three. If the 
fourth bidder has only two tricks, it makes it 
hard for him to bid, and you may cut the 
adversaries ofif from a good count or perhaps 
save yourself from being forced up to a losing 
bid. The same principle applies even when 
second hand has not bid. If you especially 
like your partner's bid and have much better 
than ordinary support for him, you can in- 
crease his bid without waiting for an attack by 
the adversaries, especially when there is some 
suit in which you are weak, which might be 
announced by the fourth bidder. 

In no-trump hands where singletons and 
missing suits are of no avail you have a little 
more latitude. If your increasing cards were 
limited to aces and kings only, you could sel- 
dom bid. The no-trump maker is likely to 
have two, probably three, of these eight high 
cards; the opponent who has outbid him has 
probably one or two. So here a well-guarded 
queen or jack in the adversaries' suit can be 
counted as a trick. Therefore in no-trump 



66 



strp:et on auction. 



hands you can increase with two aces, or with 
an ace and a king (not with a king, however, 
if that suit has been bid on your left), if one 
of these is in the opponents* suit; or with an 
ace and protection in their suit as shown 
above, a queen or jack guarded ; but not with- 
out an ace, that is with just a king and pro- 
tection in their suit. Without an ace you must 
either protect three suits or have a good suit 
Hke king, queen and three others, or king, 
queen, jack and another, together with pro- 
tection in their suit. 

The bidding has now been reduced to such 
accuracy that a king to be really counted as a 
trick must be supported by the queen or by 
both jack and ten. When supported by small 
cards only it is valued as a trick solely when 
that suit in which it occurs has been bid on 
your right. 

With two chances in your hand it is fair, 
however, to count one to win and one to lose. 
Therefore, with two guarded kings, count one 
of them for a trick. 



INCREASING partner's BID. 



67 



To increase your partner's no-trump bid 
after he has been outbid you should usually 
be able to stop the opponents' suit. Such a 
stop may be an ace, a guarded king (on the 
left of the declaration) or a guarded queen, 
jack or jack, ten. Queen and two low is 
hardly protection, as it can easily be led 
through. But there are three cases when you 
can increase your partner s bid without a stop 
in the opponents' suit: 

1. When you have two aces. 

2. When yon have a solid diamond or club 
suit like ace, king, queen and two others. 

3. When you have a good suit that can be 
readily cleared, together with another ace. 

In all these three cases you have such strong 
assistance for your partner that it seems that 
he himself must have protection in the oppo- 
nents' suit. Of course he may not have such 
protection, but in such cases the chances of 
a great loss are small. With a very long 
royal or heart suit the opponents are likely 
again to outbid you. 



68 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



Be very careful in increasing your partner's 
bid not to use the same material twice. If you 
have bid one club on five to the ace king, and 
your partner makes it a heart and is outbid 
by two diamonds, you cannot now increase 
with your ace and king of clubs, as you have 
already used those cards in your bid, and 
your partner may have ventured a heart only 
because he is counting upon you for two tricks 
in clubs. To increase with nothing additional 
would be like trying to spend the same money 
twice. Of course, if you have another trick, 
then you can add to his bid. A peculiar 
instance, and one hard to define, arises when 
you have made it no-trump and your partner 
has changed your make to two of some suit 
and has been outbid. You can only try to 
guess his trump holding, but if the make 
suits your hand you can continue with it. 
But it is dangerous to go far with any bid 
which your partner has made taking you out 
of your no-trump, as he can't have much else 



INCREASING partner's BID. 



69 



except trumps, and they cannot be very good, 
or if they are he will continue the bidding 
himself. 



70 STREET ON AUCTION. 



CHAPTER XL 

THE FOURTH BIDDER. 

Your choice as fourth bidder is practically 
the same as that of third, except that you 
have heard from your partner and from both 
adversaries. When the bid comes to you the 
hand should be at least outlined, and your 
position is often the most advantageous. Your 
best chance to double is when the third bidder 
has ventured some doubtful make in trying to 
take his partner out of a one spade bid. 

The rules laid down for the third bidder are 
the same that you should observe when you 
are the fourth. 

There are, however, two important cases 
where you must exercise great caution. The 
first is when third hand has bid an invitation 
for a no-trump, which the dealer, beyond you, 
is likely to make. Here you should try to 
show a fair long suit to your partner so that 



THE FOURTH BIDDER. 



71 



he may lead it to you in case the no-trump is 
declared. For example: The dealer bids one 
club, your partner passes, third hand bids one 
diamond, and you have a long suit of hearts 
to the queen, jack, with an outside ace. You 
should bid one heart, as, if they go to no- 
trump, you want that suit led before you lose 
your entry. 

The second case is when one spade was the 
original bid and the other two players have 
passed. Unless you have a very good hand, 
one that looks toward game, it does no harm 
to let them have their own spade bid, especially 
when you have a long spade suit not par- 
ticularly good. You are pretty sure to beat 
them 50 or 100 on the spade bid, and it is 
rare that an informatory bid here will unearth 
a make worth the game. If you disturb the 
one spade bid the opponents may try some- 
thing else that will not suit your hand so well. 
So, too, with doubling, which is useless, as 
you can't win but 100 anyway, and again give 
them the chance to escape. Here are four 



72 



STREET OX AUCTIOX. 



cases where you, at fourth hand, should pass a 
one spade bid : 

K7 3 95 A 43 64 

0KJ4 AKO A 62 10 5 

♦ 32 10 42 9 AQJ2 

^ KQ973 A 10 752 J98632 10 9832 

There can actually be over 300 situations, 

according to differences in the previous three 

bids, which fourth hand may have to confront. 

Therefore, it is only by exercising the greatest 

care and by gleaning every inference, positive 

and negative, that he can arrive at his decision. 

But usually his line of action is well marked 

and he can prophesy which way the balance is 

likely to swing. 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 73 



CHAPTER XII. 

CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT 

After the first round of the bidding every 
player must consider and give due weight to 
the same choice of action which the fourth 
bidder has. You must now add, however, to 
the choice of doubhng, passing, making some 
new suit, or increasing partner's bid, the extra 
option of continuing your own bid; and it is 
here that many a player makes a fatal slip. 
Just because you have begun with some suit 
there is no need to nail that flag to your 
mast and continue to ruin. Many a bid 
is tried once only, to be instantly abandoned 
in the face of opposition. It is the flexible 
player who wins in the long run. Unless you 
can count upon six tricks in your own hand 
you should not bid twice upon it without wait- 
ing to hear from your partner. If your part- 



74 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



ner has not two tricks 3^ou cannot win your 
bid, and if he has two tricks he will bid. If 
you can't take but five and he has but one 
you are bidding yourself in for a loss of two, 
which if doubled would prove costly. But 
with six tricks fairly sure in your hand 
(counting kings guarded to win and finesses 
to lose) you can go to two of your bid without 
waiting for your partner. 

No-trumpers are hard to judge, especially 
if you have a poor suit which the opponent 
might open. Yet even here you can usually 
figure out about how many tricks you can 
take, unless some huge suit lies masked against 
you. Nevertheless, a no-trump hand is nearly 
always a hand of uncertainty. But it is so 
easy to count a trump hand that it is one of 
the mysteries of the game that so few players 
do it. The secret of counting a trump hand 
is to count your losing cards and not your 
zvinners. Estimate what the opponents can 
make against you and, eliminating those, arrive 
at the true worth of your hand. First look 



COXTIXUIXG YOUR OWN SUIT. 



for and count your losing cards. In no other 
way can you so surely become expert in valu- 
ing a hand. Your judgment must be based on 
four premises, four things you consider to be 
true : 

1. That the rest of the cards in any suit 
you hold will be evenly divided unless that 
suit be bid upon by an opponent. 

2. That your partner has one trick. 

3. That kings guarded will win unless 
you have heard some bid which would lead 
you to think otherwise. 

4. That finesses wnll lose. 

To begin with, study the following column 
of combinations in trumps and see how many 
tricks you should count to lose and what is 
the value of the remainder. 



EXAMPLES. 



TRUMPS 



LOSIXG 
CARDS 



VALUE 
IX TRICKS 

7 



A K 6 5 4 3 2 
K O 8 6 5 4 2 




1 



A K 8 5 4 3 
A Q 7 6 5 2 
K O 9 8 3 2 



2 



9 



1 



5 
4 
4 



76 



STREET ON AUCTION. 





LOSING 


VALUE 


TRUMPS 


CARDS 


IN TRICKS 


/\ JLV ^ 


A 
U 


C 

J 


A K 6 4 2 


1 


4 


A Q J 7 5 


1 


4 


K Q J 5 4 


1 


4 


A Q 9 8 3 


2 


3 


K Ci ^C) f, ^ 

IN- iW U O 


^ 


o 


K Q 7 5 2 


2 


3 


A J 10 9 3 


2 


3 


A 10 7 5 3 


2 


3 


Q J 10 4 2 


2 


3 


A K Q 5 





4 


K Q J 7 


1 


3 


A Q J 6 


1 


3 


A Q 3 2 


2 


2 



The same principle of counting losses can be 



applied to each plain suit in a trump hand, and 
remember here that a singleton or a missing 
suit which is such valuable aid to offer your 
partner for his make, is not an element of 
strength in your own hand, but rather of 
weakness, as your trumps will be constantly 
weakened by ruffing. 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 



77 



This method of counting your hand is illus- 
trated in the following hands : 

LOSS 

O K Q 6 4 2 2 
No. 1. 2 A K 5 1 
♦ 9 8 7 3 
4 5 4 2 

8 

Value, five tricks. Bid one heart and then 
stop. 



I.OSS 

O A K 9 7 6 1 
No. 2. 4 1 

* A 7 3 2 

♦ 8 6 4 2 4 

. 8 

Value, five tricks. Bid one heart and stop. 



I.OSS 

O QJ 10 7642 2 
No. 3. ? 7 5 3 3 

♦ Q 2 2 

♦ 7 1 



Value, five tricks. Bid one spade originally, 
but over a diamond or club go one heart and 
stop. 



78 



STREET OX AUCTION. 



I.OSS 

A K Q 5 3 
xNo. 4. 7 6 2 
♦ A Q 5 2 
4 6 4 2 3 

7 

Value, six tricks. Here you can bid one 
heart, and even two if outbid, as your hand 
is worth six tricks. 



No. 5. 



IvOSs 

C?AQ7642 2 
A K 3 1 
* 5 4 2 
A 6 2 2 



7 

Value, six tricks. Same as No. 4 above. 



^ A 10 8 7 6 4 3 2 1 
No. 6. 7 ^ 
4 10 9 4 3 

6 

Value, seven tricks. Counting one from 
partner, you can go on to a bid of two or 
even overbid to three if necessary. 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 



79 



I.OSS 

C?KQJ642 1 
No. 7. ? 7 1 

♦ A 3 2 2 

♦ Q J 4 ^ 

6 

Value, seven tricks. Bid the same as No. 



^ A J 10 9 6 5 2 
No. 8. ^ ^ 2 2 

♦ Q J 10 6 4 2 

6 

Value seven tricks. Your spade should 
clear for three tricks, so with one from your 
partner you can go to a bid of two or even 
three as this is an exceptionally strong hand 

and worth overbidding. 



LOSS 

C>AQ7642 2 

No. 9. ^ 5 1 
* A 10 6 5 4 2 

4^ 8 1 

6 

Value, seven tricks. With one from part- 
ner worth a bid or two and even three. 



80 



STREE^T ON AUCTION. 



I.OSS 



O A Q J 5 4 1 

No. 10. ^ ^ 2 2 

* A K 6 5 4 1 

♦ 7 1 



5 

- Value eight tricks. A good plain suit of 
five or more cards strengthens a trump make 
enormously. With partner's one trick you 
can go three and four on hearts. 

I.OSS 



A Q J 10 5 1 

No. 11. K 8 3 2 

4^ 4 1 

^ KQ J 5 1 



5 

Value, eight tricks. This hand is worth a 
bid of three hearts and, if necessary, four, as 
four honors in one hand in hearts or diamonds 
can be counted as a trick in bidding. 



I.OSS 

6 4 2 
A K 8 7 6 5 1 

■ * 

4^ A K 7 6 4 1 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 



81 



Value, nine tricks. You can go to a bid 
of four in diamonds or royals. 



3 

Value, ten tricks. Worth a bid of five or 
even six if necessary. 

In all the above hands you count on your 
partner for one trick. If he bids he has two, 
and one more for each successive time he may 
bid. Thus the limit of your probable success 
is exactly defined. It is fair, however, to 
overbid your hand one when you have a very 
strong make with six tricks or more, or after 
the adversaries have won a game and their 
present make looks dangerous, thus taking 
the chance to lose 50 or 100 to keep them from 
going out. But to overbid your hand two and 
three tricks, to take a chance of losing 200 
or 300 when you also later on may lose the 



No. 13. 



O K Q J 8 6 4 

3 

4» A Q J 7 5 3 

♦ 



LOSS 

1 

1 
1 





82 



stre:et on auction. 



rubber, is arrant folly. Let that rubber go 
and use any good hand you expect to hold to 
win a game on the next rubber. There is no 
profit in paying heavily in the honor column 
to buy the chance to win a rubber which, when 
won, nets you a loss in points. Rubbers that 
you win should show you a clean gain to offset 
those that you must lose. 

This, then, should be the way to judge your 
hand: Count your losing cards and arrive at 
the value of your hand; add in one trick for 
your partner, unless he has bid, in which case 
add two ; if you have four honors in one hand 
bid one more (as in hand No. 11 above), and 
still another if you have a very strong hand 
or it seems dangerous to let the opponents 
have their bid when they are a game to the 
good. Of course you may even thus incur a 
much larger loss than you anticipate; trumps 
may be massed against you; your partner 
may have a blank hand, and your plain suit 
may be ruffed at once or may not clear. But 
it is seldom that everything lies badly, and 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 83 

you will find by following faithfully and 
carefully this method of bidding you will 
rarely meet with the heavy losses that are so 
frequent with players whose bidding is full of 
emotion and enthusiasm, but devoid of 
mathematics. 

DOUBLING. 

As second bidder you can double a spade 
bid when you can take two tricks in spades 
and have another outside trick. This is 
simply for information to your partner, know- 
ing the bid probably will be changed. But 
you almost never should double any other 
one trick bid for fear it will be changed. In 
fact, now that the values of the four suits are 
so close together, it is rarely profitable to 
double a bid of two as the adversaries can 
so easily escape. 

But after the bidding has continued up to 
3 or 4 on some suit it is often profitable to 
drop your bid and double theirs. Your double 
is practically a wager that they won't make 
good their bid. But remember that you are 



84 



stree:t on auction. 



doubling only for an extra 50 points a trick, 
as you get 50 points a trick anyway if you 
beat them with no double. However, if they 
make good their bid they beat you for 50 
points a trick and their trick score doubled, 
so that the odds are against you on every 
double you make. If, for example, they bid 
four diamonds and you double and beat 
them a trick, you win 50 points more than 
you would have won without the double. But 
should they get their four odd they beat you 
that same 50 points, plus their trick score 
doubled, or 28 more. Therefore you are 
laying them odds of 78 to 50, or 3 to 2, that 
they can't win. In addition to this, to double 
two or three royals or hearts, or three or four 
diamonds or clubs, at a zero score often causes 
the loss of the game. Watch the score con- 
stantly in doubling; many a double can be 
tried when the adversaries' make would carry 
them out anyway, which would not be advis- 
able otherwise. It is too great odds to offer 
them 78 and a game, or perhaps rubber, for 
the sake of winning a paltry 50. 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 85 

The vexed question often arises between 
doubling when you know you can almost cer- 
tainly beat them for 200 or 300, and going on 
with your own bid and winning the game. If 
it is your second game, and therefore means 
the rubber, it is usually safer to win the rub- 
ber, which really means 500 points, as you are 
either winning or losing 250. If it is your 
first game you will do better to take the 200 
or 300 in the honor column. Players are apt 
to misplay the situation which occurs when 
they are in the second game and the opponents 
have won the first. They will try to win the 
game and give up a probably 200 or 300 in the 
honor column to do so. That is shortsighted. 
The game they are trying to win may do them 
no good ; the opponents may win the next and 
the rubber. But if they take 200 or 300 in the 
honor column they will reduce the rubber, if 
they lose it, to very small proportions. Win 
your second game by all means, but take 200 
rather than your first. 

When your partner has doubled and you 



86 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



cannot help his double very well, but think 
you can go game on your hand, it is wiser to 
overbid him and try for the game, unless the 
situation is similar to the one just explained. 
But after he has doubled be careful about 
taking him out from weakness or because you 
are afraid you cannot help him. He probably 
knows pretty well what he is about and if you 
experiment with a weak make, you, in your 
turn, may be doubled for an appalling loss. 

When your partner has been doubled you 
naturally should make some el¥ort to take him 
out, but don't try to do so with poor material, 
as you yourself may be doubled and only get 
deeper into the mire. Also, it becomes a much 
better take-out w^hen you are reducing his con- 
tract, or at least making a bid of the same 
number. If he bids four clubs and is doubled, 
a bid of three royals to take him out at least 
reduces the contract, and you can do so with 
a good royal hand. But avoid all those des- 
perate measures which invite larger losses. 
Perhaps after all your partner is stronger than 



CONTINUING YOUR OWN SUIT. 87 

the Opponents think and will win the double 
and a good score. 

When the opponents have been bidding 
against each other on two suits like hearts and 
diamonds, and have settled upon their final 
bid, which you know you can double and beat, 
it is unwise to do so, as they will surely go 
back into the other bid, which may not suit 
your hand. 

The reckless way in which this chastising- 
rod of the double is flourished about by incom- 
petent players makes one almost ready to give 
to the student of doubling the famous advice 
of Punch to those meditating getting married, 
namely, ^^Don't.'' 



88 



STREET OX AUCTION. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE OPENING LEAD. 
1. AGAINST A NO-TRUMP DECLARATION. 

Your opening lead in Auction is often not 
what you would have led at straight Bridge, 
owing to the fact that your partner may have 
bid on some suit. After such a bid it is 
usually right to lead him his suit. But when 
you have a good five-card suit of your own it 
is often better to open that, especially if he has 
bid only once on his suit, or again, if you have 
only a singleton in it, but have entries for your 
own suit. If he has bid twice on his suit, or if 
you have two of it for him, or if you have no 
very good suit of your own, you should lead 
his suit as follows : 

Holding a short suit, two or three cards, 
lead the best and follow with the next best. 

Holding four or more, lead ace or king, or 
the top of two cards in sequence (not lower 
than the ten nineV Sometimes though, if the 



THE OPENING LEAD. 



89 



no-trump has been declared after your part- 
ner's bid, they may have the queen guarded 
and a low lead is better from the king and 
three low. 

Holding four or more cards not headed by 
ace or king, or by two high cards in sequence, 
lead low and allow your partner to count 
your hand. 

If your partner has made no bid, lead fourth 
best from your longest suit unless in that 
suit you hold three honors with two in se- 
quence, in which case you lead the top of the 
two in sequence. Therefore from suits con- 
taining the following groups of high cards 
lead as indicated. 

With A K Q or A K J, lead A. 

With K Q J or K Q 10, lead K. 

With A Q J, Q J 10 or Q J 9, lead Q. 

With A J 10, K J 10, J 10 9 or J 10 8, lead J. 

Note on the above leads. 

1. With ace, queen, jack and others, lead 
queen first usually, but lead ace first and then 
queen if you have another sure entry. 



90 



STR£ET OX AUCTION. 



2. When the ten occurs in ace king suits 
it is treated like a low card and not as a honor. 

3. W^ith ace. king, jack and 0}ily one low 
it is better to lead king first and then change 
suits and wait for your partner to come 
through. With five or more in suit, the ace is 
the best lead as given above. The lead of 
the ace asks for your partner's queen and he 
should play it regardless of the number he 
has in your suit. 

4. With ace, king and two others you 
should lead the king, see dummy, and observe 
what your partner plays. You need not lead 
the ace next, nor indeed continue that suit if 
it does not look good, but as an opening, it 
does more good than harm. With five or six, 
however, to the ace king, and no other entry, 
lead low. But v/ith an entry like an ace, a 
king guarded, or even a queen jack, guarded, 
of the suit the opponents have bid on before 
they made no-trump, you should lead high 
and clear your suit. 

When vour suit has been bid bv the adver- 



THK OPENING htAD, 



91 



saries, or when it is of four cards only, with- 
out two honors, it is often better to open a 
strengthening card in a short suit, preferably 
diamonds or clubs. 

If your partner has doubled a no-trump, 
after either one of you has bid, lead the suit 
declared. If he has doubled after you have 
bid on one suit and he on another, lead his 
suit and not your own, unless yours is 
established. 

2. AGAINST A DECIvARED TRUMP. 

In a declared trump hand you should lead 
any suit your partner has bid on as in no- 
trump, the highest of two or three, and the ace 
or king, or the higher of two sequence cards 
in suits of four or more. But don't lead his 
suit if you have an ace king suit, a singleton, 
or a long suit of your own which may be 
established, together with four or more 
trumps. 

With no suit declared by your partner the 
best way to open your hand is with one of 



92 



STREET OX AUCTION. 



these five leads giving the preference to each 
according to its place in the list. 

1. A K alone or with others. When alone, 
lead first ace and then king. 

2. Singleton. 

3. K Q with two or more others. Avoid 
K Q and only one low. 

4. Q J alone or with others. 

5. Two-card suit. Except A Q or K J or 
K X. 

Not holding any of the above combinations 
you can lead low from suits headed by queen 
or lower, or the top if a poor three-card suit. 

Avoid opening tenace suits like A Q, A J, 
or K J. Also avoid leading low from a king. 

When holding four trumps, however, and 
a four or five-card suit capable of being 
established, it is often better not to lead short 
and invite a rufif, but to open your long suit. 

Do not jump at the conclusion, just because 
your partner has helped you on your bid, that 
he has a high card in your suit, and open it 
when it is headed by king or ace queen. He 
may have helped you with outside tricks or a 
missing suit. 



DISCARD. 



93 



CHAPTER XV. 

DISCARD. 



The rules for discard in Auction are the 
same as in Bridge, bearing in mind that pro- 
tection to the hand is the greatest thing to 
consider, and should rank first. Information 
to your partner is secondary. The discard of 
any card lower than the seven (unless fol- 
lowed later by a card still lower) is negative 
and simply tells your partner you don't want 
him to lead that suit. The discard of a seven 
or higher (unless followed by a card still 
higher) shows strength in that suit. Early in 
the hand it asks your partner to change to 
that suit, but later it simply shows the ace 
or protection to help him in his discards. 

For explanations of Second Hand Play, 
Third Hand Play, Holding Up, Unblocking, 
Management of Trump Hands, etc., the author 



94 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



begs to refer the student to his book, ''Good 
Bridge" (Dodd, Mead & Co.), where these 
topics have been fully covered. 



don't 



95 



don't. 

Don't try to play every hand. 
Don't bid unless you have something valuable 
to declare. 

Don't carry your bid too far; learn when to 

relinquish it. 
Don't count on much from your partner if he 

has declined to assist you; he can have but 

one trick at most. 
Don't rebel against your partner taking you 

out of a no-trump especially if you can help 

his make. Remember the one who can best 

help is always the one to yield. 
Don't increase your partner's bid without two 

real tricks, not queens and jacks or more 

trumps. 

Don't be diverted from winning the rubber 
game by an attractive double. The rubber 
is worth 500 points. 

Don't double trump makes when your tricks 



96 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



lie in some long suit; they will probably be 
trumped at once. 
Don't be rash about doubling two hearts or 
three diamonds ; you may put the oppo- 
nents out. 

Don't bid twice on any suit without waiting 
for your partner unless you think you have 
six tricks practically sure in the hand. 

Don't take your partner out of a make in 
which he has been doubled unless you think 
you will lose less on your make. 

Don't double when the opponents can change 
to something else. If their make suits you 
let it stand. 

Don't pile up losses in the opponents' honor 
column; that is the only way you can lose 
big rubbers. 

Don't lose any early advantage you have 
gained by pressing forward to win more or 
to go out. Wait for the good hands. 

Don't waste your good hands in making up 
useless losses you have invited with poor 



don't 



97 



hands. Save your good hands to win games 
and rubbers with. 
Don't fail to keep the score in sight and in 
mind with every bid you make. 



RULES 

FOR 

THREE-HANDED AUCTION 



100 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



THREE-HANDED AUCTION. 

In three-handed Auction the same laws 
obtain as in the regular game with the follow- 
ing variations : 

1. The game is played by three players, 
each playing for himself with an individual 
score. 

2. The player cutting the lowest card deals 
first; the one cutting the next lowest sits at 
the dealer's left, the remaining player at his 
right. The dummy hand is not taken up or 
looked at until the final declaration has been 
made. 

3. The bidding pursues the same course 
(omitting the dummy) as in Auction, except 
that each of the three players bids indepen- 
dently. The final declarer, the other two 
players having passed, plays his own hand 
and that of the dummy, against the other two 
who thus become temporary partners for this 



THRDK-HANDED AUCTION. 



101 



one deal. If a player is seated opposite the 
final declarer he must move into the vacant 
seat so that the dummy may be properly 
placed. 

4. When the declarer fulfills his contract 
he scores as in Auction, one trick in spades 
counting 2, in clubs 6, in diamonds 7, in hearts 
8, in royals 9 and in no-trump 10. When he 
fails in his contract he forfeits to each adver- 
sary the amount of his loss. 

5. The honors are counted separately, each 
honor held by a player counting like a trick 
in that suit. Thus one honor in diamonds 
counts 7, two in hearts 16, and three in royals 
27. Four or five honors in one hand count 
double their value as in Auction. In no-trump 
each ace counts 10, four in one hand counting 
100. Chicane counts twice the trump value 
for the player in whose hand it occurs. 

6. Three separate scores are kept. 100 
points are scored by each player for the first 
game he wins, and an additional 200 for his 
second game which ends the rubber. 



102 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



7. At the end of the rubber the total score 
of all three players is added separately and 
each player whose score is greater than that 
of any other player, wins the difference from 
him, or if lower, loses it. For example : A, 
B and C play a rubber which A wins counting 
600. B's score is 400 and C's is 100. A wins 
200 from B and 500 from C. B loses 200 to 
A and wins 300 from C, and C loses 500 to 
A and 300 to B. The net result shows A. + 
700; B, + 100 and C — 800. 

8. The following penalties obtain : 

a. If a card is exposed during the deal, there 
must be a new deal. 

b. A player exposing a card after the deal is 
completed and before any declaration is made, for- 
feits 50 points to each other player. If the card has 
been exposed by the final declarer there is no further 
penalty. But if such card has been exposed by one 
of his adversaries, he can call upon the leader not 
to lead that suit or he can order the card to remain 
upon the table to be called at his option. 

c. A player declaring (not passing") out of turn 
forfeits 50 points to each other player. 

d. A player doubling out of turn forfeits 100 
points to each other player. 



Through the courtesy of The Whist Club of 
New York the laws and amendments adopted 
and in use there are here given. 



THE LAWS 

OF 

AUCTION BRIDGE 

AS ADOPTED BY 

THE WHIST CLUB 

ALSO THE 

Etiquette of the Game 



Copyright 1912 

BY 

The Whist Club 
New York 



INDEX 



TO THE 

LAWS OF AUCTION 

PAGE 



The Rubber 108 

Scoring 108 

Cutting Ill 

Forming Tables 112 

Cutting Out 113 

Right of Entry 113 

Shuffling 115 

The Deal 115 

A New Deal 116 

Declaring Trumps = 118 

Doubling, Re-Doubling, Etc, 122 

Dummy 123 

Cards Exposed Before Play 125 

Cards Exposed During Play 126 

Leads Out of Turn 129 

Cards Played in Error 130 

The Revoke 131 

General Rules 134 

New Cards 135 

Bystanders 136 

Etiquette 136 



PREFACE. 



At a meeting of the Board of Managers 
of the Whist Club the following laws ap- 
plicable to Auction Bridge were approved 
and adopted. 

The Whist Club, 

New York, September, 1912. 



108 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION. 

The Rubber 

1. The partners first winning two games 
win the rubber. If the first two games de- 
cide the rubber, a third is not played. 

Scoring 

2. A game consists of thirty points ob- 
tained by tricks alone, exclusive of any points 
counted for honors, chicane, slam, little slam, 
bonus or undertricks. 

3. Every deal is played out, and any 
points in excess of the thirty necessary for 
the game are counted. 

4. When the declarer wins the number of 
tricks bid, each one above six counts toward 
the game : two points when spades are trumps, 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



109 



six when clubs are trumps, seven when dia- 
monds are trumps, eight when hearts are 
trumps, nine when royal spades are trumps 
and ten when there are no trumps. 

5. Honors are ace, king, queen, knave and 
ten of the trump suit ; or the aces when no 
trump is declared. 

6. Honors are credited in the honor col- 
umn to the original holders, being valued as 
follows : 



When a Trump is Declared 
3 honors held between partners equal value of 2 tricks 



4 " " " " " " 4 

5 5 

4 " " in 1 hand " " 8 

( 5th in ) 

4 * 1 " \ partner's V '" " 9 

( hand j 

5 " " " 1 " " " 10 



When No Trump is Declared. 

3 aces held between partners count 30 
4 " " 40 

4 " " in one hand " 100 



110 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



7. Slam is made when seven by cards is 
scored by either side, independently of tricks 
taken as penalty for the revoke; it adds forty 
points to the honor count.''' 

8. Little slam is made when six by cards 
is similarly scored; it adds twenty points to 
the honor count.* 

9. Chicane (one hand void of trumps) is 
equal in value to simple honors, i, e., if the 
partners, one of whom has chicane, score 
honors, it adds the value of three honors to 
their honor score; if the adversaries score 
honors it deducts that value from theirs. 
Double chicane (both hands void of trumps) 
is equal in value to four honors, and that 
value must be deducted from the honor score 
of the adversaries. 

10. The value of honors, slam, little slam 
or chicane, is not affected by doubling or 
redoubling. 



* lyaw 84 prohibits the revoking side from scoring slam or 
little slam. 



I.AWS OF AUCTION. 



Ill 



11. At the conclusion of a rubber the trick 
and honor scores of each side are added, and 
two hundred and fifty points added to the 
score of the winners. The difference between 
the completed scores is the number of points 
of the rubber. 

12. A proven error in the honor score may 
be corrected at any time before the score of 
the rubber has been made up and agreed upon. 

13. A proven error in the trick score may 
be corrected prior to the conclusion of the 
game in which it occurred. Such game shall 
not be considered concluded until a declara- 
tion has been made in the following game, 
or if it be the final game of the rubber, until 
the score has been made up and agreed upon. 

Cutting 

14. In cutting, the ace is the lowest card; 
as between cards of otherwise equal value, 
the lowest is the heart, next the diamond, next 
the club, and highest the spade. 



112 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



15. Every player must cut from the same 
pack. 

16. Should a player expose more than one 
card, the highest is his cut. 

Forming Tables 

17. The prior right of playing is with those 
first in the room. If there are more than four 
candidates of equal standing, the privilege of 
playing is decided by cutting. The four who 
cut the lowest cards play first. 

18. After the table is formed the players 
cut to decide upon partners, the two lower 
playing against the two higher. The lowest 
is the dealer who has choice of cards and 
seats, and who, having made his selection, 
must abide by it. 

19. Six players constitute a complete table. 

20. The right to succeed any player who 
may retire is acquired by announcing the de- 



LAWS 01^ AUCTION. 



113 



sire to do so, and such announcement shall 
constitute a prior right to the first vacancy. 

Cutting Out 

21. If, at the end of a rubber, admission 
is claimed by one or two candidates, the 
player or players having played the greatest 
number of consecutive rubbers shall with- 
draw ; but when all have played the same 
number, they must cut to decide upon the out- 
goers ; the highest are out.* 

Right of Entry 

22. A candidate desiring to enter a table 
must declare his intention before any player 
at the table cuts a card, whether for the pur- 
pose of beginning a new rubber or of cut- 
ting out. 

23. In the formation of new tables candi- 
dates who have not played at any existing 



* See I^aw 14 as to value of cards in cutting. 



114 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



table have the prior right of entry. Others 
decide their right to admission by cutting. 

24. When one or more players belonging 
to an existing table aid in making up a new 
one he or they shall be the last to cut out. 

25. A player who cuts into one table, 
while belonging to another, forfeits his prior 
right of re-entry into the latter, unless he has 
helped to form a new table. In this event he 
may signify his intention of returning to his 
original table when his place at the new one 
can be filled. 

26. Should any player leave a table dur- 
ing the progress of a rubber, he may, with 
the consent of the three others, appoint a 
substitute to play during his absence; but 
such appointment shall become void upon the 
conclusion of the rubber, and shall not in any 
way affect the substitute's rights. 

27. If any player break up a table the 
others have a prior right elsewhere. 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



115 



Shuffling 

28. The pack must not be shuffled below 
the table nor so that the face of any card may 
be seen. 

29. The dealer's partner must collect the 
cards from the preceding deal and has the 
right to shuffle first. Each player has the 
right to shuffle subsequently. 'The dealer 
has the right to shuffle last ; but, should a 
card or cards be seen during his shuffling, or 
while giving the pack to be cut, he must 
re-shuffle. 

30. After shuffling, the cards properly 
collected must be placed face downward to 
the left of the next dealer, where they must 
remain untouched until the play with the 
other pack is finished. 

The Deal 

31. Each player deals in his turn ; the order 
of dealing is to the left. 

32. The player on the dealer's right cuts 
the pack, and in dividing it he must leave not 



116 STREET ON AUCTION. 

fewer than four cards in each packet; if in 
cutting or in replacing one of the two packets 
a card is exposed if there is any confusion or 
doubt as to the exact place in which the pack 
was divided, there must be a fresh cut. 

33. When the player whose duty it is to 
cut has once separated the pack, he can neither 
re-shuffle nor re-cut, except as provided in 
Law 32. 

34. Should the dealer shuffle the cards 
after the cut, the pack must be cut again. 

35. The fifty-two cards shall be dealt face 
downward. The deal is not completed until 
the last card has been dealt. 

36. In the event of a misdeal the cards 
must be dealt again by the same player. 

A New Deal 

37. There must be a new deal — 

a li the cards are not dealt into four packets, 
one at a time and in regular rotation, be- 
ginning at the dealer's left. 

h li, during a deal, or during the play, the pack 
is proven incorrect or imperfect. 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



117 



- r If an^ card is faced in the pack or is ex- 
posed during the deal on, above or below 
the table. 

d If any player has dealt to him a greater 
number of cards than thirteen, whether dis- 
covered before or during the play. 

e If the dealer deal two cards at once and then 
deal a third before correcting the error. 

/ If the dealer omit to have the pack cut and 
either adversary calls attention to the fact 
prior to the completion of the deal and be- 
fore either adversary has looked at any of 
his cards. 

g If the last card does not come in its regular 
order to the dealer. 

38. Should three players have their right 
number of cards, the fourth, less, and not 
discover such deficiency until he has played, 
the deal stands ; he, not being dummy, is 
answerable for any established revoke he may 
have made as if the missing card or cards had 
been in his hand. Any player may search the 
other pack for it or them. 

39. If, during the play, a pack be proven 
incorrect, such proof renders the current deal 



118 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



void but does not affect any prior score. (See 
Law 37 b.) If during or at the conclusion of 
the play one player be found to hold more 
than the proper number of cards and another 
have an equal number less, the deal is void. 

40. A player dealing out of turn or with 
the adversaries' cards may be corrected be- 
fore the last card is dealt, otherwise the deal 
must stand, and the game proceed as if the 
deal had been correct, the player to his left 
dealing the next hand. A player who has 
looked at any of his cards may not correct 
such deal, nor may his partner. 

41. A player can neither cut, shuffle nor 
deal for his partner without the permission 
of his adversaries. 

Declaring Trumps 

42. The dealer, having examined his hand, 
must declare to w^in at least one odd trick, 
either with a declared suit, or at ''no trumps.'' 

43. After the dealer has made his decla- 
ration, each player in turn, commencing with 
the player on the dealer's left, has the right to 



LAWS AUCTION. 



119 



pass, to make a higher declaration, to double 
the last declaration made, or to redouble a 
declaration which has been doubled, subject 
to the provisions of Law 54. 

44. A declaration of a greater number of 
tricks in a suit of lower value, which equals 
the last declaration in value of points, shall 
be considered a higher declaration — e. g., a 
declaration of ''Three Spades" is a higher 
declaration than ''One Club." 

45. A player in his turn may overbid the 
previous adverse declaration any number of 
times, and may also overbid his partner, but 
he cannot overbid his own declaration which 
has been passed by the three others. 

46. The player who makes the final dec- 
laration shall play the combined hands of him- 
self and his partner (the latter becoming 
dummy), unless the winning suit was first bid 
by the partner, in which case he, no matter 
what bids have intervened, shall play the hand. 

47. When the player of the two hands 
(hereinafter termed "the declarer") wins at 



120 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



least as many tricks as he declared, he scores 
the full value of the tricks won (see Laws 4 
and 6). When he fails, neither the declarer 
nor his adversaries score anything toward the 
game, but his adversaries score in the honor 
column fifty points for each under-trick — 
i. e,y each trick short of the number declared; 
or, if the declaration has been doubled, or re- 
doubled, one hundred or two hundred respect- 
ively for each such trick. 

48. The loss on the original declaration by 
the dealer of ''One Spade" is limited to one 
hundred points vvhether doubled or not, unless 
redoubled. Honors are scored as held. 

49. If a player make a declaration (other 
than passing) out of turn, either adversary 
may demand a new deal, or may allow the 
declaration so made to stand, in which case 
the bidding shall continue as if the declara- 
tion had been in order. 

50. If a player make an insufficient or im- 
possible declaration either adversary may de- 
mand that it be penalized, provided such 



LAWS 01^ AUCTION. 



121 



demand be made before an adversary has 
passed, doubled or declared. In case of an 
insufficient declaration the penalty is that the 
declarer must make his bid sufficient and his 
partner is debarred from making any further 
declaration unless an adversary subsequently 
bids or doubles. In case of an impossible dec- 
laration the penalty is that the declarer is 
considered to have bid to take all the tricks 
and his partner cannot further declare unless 
an adversary subsequently bids or doubles 
Either adversary, instead of accepting the im- 
possible declaration, may demand a new deal 
or may treat his own or his partner's last pre- 
vious declaration as final. 

51. If, after the final declaration has been 
made, an adversary of the declarer gives his 
partner any information as to any previous 
declaration, whether made by himself or an 
adversary, the declarer may call a lead from 
the adversary whose next turn it is to lead, 
but a player is entitled to inquire, at any 



122 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



time during the play of the hand, what was 
the final declaration. 

52. A declaration legitimately made can- 
not be altered after the next player has passed, 
declared or doubled. Prior to such action by 
the next player, a declaration inadvertently 
made may be corrected. 

Doubling and Redoubling 

53. The effect of doubling and redoubling 
is that the value of each trick over six is 
doubled or quadrupled, as provided in Law 
4; but it does not alter the value of a declara- 
tion — e. g., a declaration of ''Three Clubs'' is 
higher than ''Two Royal Spades'' even if the 
"Royal Spade" declaration has been doubled. 

54. Any declaration can be doubled and re- 
doubled once, but not more; a player cannot 
double his partner's declaration, nor redouble 
his partner's double, but he may redouble a 
declaration of his partner which has been 
doubled by an adversary. 

55. The act of doubling, or redoubling re- 
opens the bidding. When a declaration has 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



123 



been doubled or redoubled, any player, includ- 
ing the declarer or his partner, can in his 
proper turn make a further declaration of 
higher value. 

56. When a player whose declaration has 
been doubled wins the declared number of 
tricks, he scores a bonus of fifty points in 
the honor column, and a further fifty points 
for each additional trick. If he or his partner 
has redoubled, the bonus is doubled. 

57. If a player double out of turn, either 
adversary may demand a new deal. 

58. When the final declaration has been 
niade the play shall begin, and the player on 
the left of the declarer shall lead. 

Dummy 

59. As soon as the player to the left of 
the declarer has led, the declarer's partner 
shall place his cards face upward on the table, 
and the duty of playing the cards from that 
hand shall devolve upon the declarer. 

60. Before placing his cards upon the table 
the declarer's partner has all the rights of a 



124 



STREB^T ON AUCTION. 



player, but after so doing takes no part what- 
ever in the play, except that he has the right : 

a To ask the declarer whether he has any of a 
suit in which he has renounced. 

b To call the declarer's attention to the fact that 
too many or too few cards have been played 
to a trick. 

c To correct the claim of either adversary to a 
penalty to which the latter is not entitled. 

d To call attention to the fact that a trick has 
been erroneously taken by either side. 

e To participate in the discussion of any dis- 
puted question of fact after it has arisen 
between the declarer and either adversary. 

/ To correct an erroneous score. 

61. Should the declarer's partner call at- 
tention to any other incident of the play, in 
consequence of which any penalty might have 
been exacted, the declarer is precluded from 
exacting such penalty. 

62. If the declarer's partner, by touching 
a card or otherwise, suggest the play of a 
card from dummy, either adversary may call 
upon the declarer to play or not play the card 
suggested. 



I.AWS 0^^ AUCTION. 



125 



63. Dummy is not liable to the penalty for 
a revoke; if he revoke and the error be not 
discovered until the trick is turned and quitted, 
v^^hether by the rightful winners or not, the 
trick must stand. 

64. A card from the declarer's own hand 
is" not played until actually quitted ; but should 
he name or touch a card in the dummy, such 
card is considered as played unless he, in 
touching the card, say, ''I arrange," or words 
to that effect. If he simultaneously touch two 
or more such cards, he may elect which one to 
play. 

Cards Exposed Before Play 

65. If, after the cards have been dealt, 
and before the trump declaration has been 
finally determined, any player lead or expose 
a card, the partner of the offending player 
may not make any further bid or double dur- 
ing that hand, and the card is subject to call. 
When the partner of the offending player is 
the original leader, the declarer may prohibit 



126 



STREET OX AUCTION. 



the suit of the exposed card being the initial 
lead. 

66. If, after the final declaration has been 
made and before a card is led, the partner of 
the leader to the first trick, expose a card, the 
declarer may, in addition to calling the card, 
prohibit the lead of the suit of the exposed 
card ; should the rightful leader expose a card 
it is subject to call. 

Cards Exposed During Play 

67. All cards exposed after the original 
lead by the declarer's adversaries are liable 
to be called, and such cards must be left 
face upward on the table. 

68. The following are exposed cards : 
1st. Two or more cards played at once. 

2d. Any card dropped with its face upward on 
the table, even though snatched up so 
quickly that it cannot be named. 

3d. Any card so held by a player that his part- 
ner sees any portion of its face. 

4th. Any card mentioned by either adversary as 
being held by him or his partner. 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



127 



69. A card dropped on the floor or else- 
where below the table, or so held that an 
adversary but not the partner sees it, is not 
an exposed card. 

70. If two or more cards are played at 
once by either of the declarer's adversaries, 
the declarer shall have the right to call any 
one of such cards to the current trick, and 
the other card or cards are exposed. 

71. If, without waiting for his partner to 
play, either of the declarer's adversaries play 
or lead a winning card, as against the declarer 
and dummy, and continue (without waiting 
for his partner to play) to lead several such 
cards, the declarer may demand that the part- 
ner of the player in fault win, if he can, the 
first or any other of these tricks, and the other 
cards thus improperly played are exposed 
cards. 

72. If either or both of the declarer's ad- 
versaries throw his or their cards on the 
table face upward, such cards are exposed 
and are liable to be called; but if either ad- 



128 STREET ON AUCTION. 



versary retain his hand he cannot be forced 
to abandon it. Cards exposed by the declarer 
are not liable to be called. If the declarer say, 
''I have the rest," or any other words indicat- 
ing that the remaining tricks or any number 
thereof are his, he may be required to place 
his cards face upward on the table. His ad- 
versaries are not liable to have any of their 
cards called should they thereupon expose 
them. 

73. If a player who has rendered himself 
liable to have the highest or lowest of a suit 
called (Laws 80, 86 and 92) fail to play as 
directed, or if, when called on to lead one suit 
he lead another, having in his hand one or 
more cards of the suit demanded (Laws 76 
and 93), or if, called upon to win or lose a 
trick, fail to do so when he can (Laws 71, 80 
and 92), or if, when called upon not to play a 
suit, fail to play as directed (Laws 65 and 
66), he is liable to the penalty for revoke, un- 
less such play be corrected before the trick is 
turned and quitted. 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



129 



74. A player cannot be compelled to play 
a card which would oblige him to revoke. 

75. The call of an exposed card may be 
repeated until such card has been played. 

Leads Out of Turn 

76. If either of the declarer's adversaries 
lead out of turn the declarer may either treat 
the card so led as an exposed card or may 
call a suit as soon as it is the turn of either 
adversary to lead. 

77. If the declarer lead out of turn, either 
from his own hand or from dummy, he in- 
curs no penalty; but he may not rectify the 
error after the second hand has played. 

78. If any player lead out of turn and the 
three others follow, the trick is complete and 
the error cannot be rectified; but if only the 
second, or second and third play to the false 
lead, their cards may be taken back ; there 
is no penalty against any except the original 
offender, who, if he be one of the declarer's 
adversaries, may be penalized as provided in 
Law 76. 



130 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



79. If a player called on to lead a suit has 
none of it, the penalty is paid. 

Cards Played in Error 

80. Should the fourth hand, not being 
dummy or declarer, play before the second, 
the latter may be called upon to play his 
highest or lowest card of the suit played, or 
to win or lose the trick. 

81. If any one, not being dummy, omit 
playing to a trick and such error is not cor- 
rected until he has played to the next, the 
adversaries or either of them may claim a 
new deal; should either decide that the deal 
is to stand, the surplus card at the end of 
the hand is considered to have been played 
to the imperfect trick, but does not consti- 
tute a revoke therein. 

82. When any one, except dummy, plays 
tw^o or more cards to the same trick and the 
mistake is not corrected, he is answerable for 
any consequent revokes he may have made. 
When during the play the error is detected, 
the tricks may be counted face downward, to 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



131 



see if any contain more than four cards ; 
should this be the case, the trick which con- 
tains a surplus card or cards may be exam- 
ined and the card or cards restored to the 
original holder, who (not being dummy) shall 
be liable for any revoke he may meanwhile 
have made. 

The Revoke"^ 

83. A revoke occurs when a player other 
than dummy, holding one or more cards of the 
suit led, plays a card of a different suit. It 
becomes an established revoke if the trick in 
which it occurs is turned and quitted by the 
rightful winners (i. e., the hand removed 
from the trick after it has been turned face 
downward on the table) ; or if either the 
revoking player or his partner, whether in 
turn or otherwise, lead or play to the follow- 
ing trick. 

84. The penalty for each established re- 
voke is: 

a When the dealer revokes, his adversaries add 
150 points to their score in the honor column, 
* See Law 73. 



132 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



in addition to any penalty which he may have 
incurred for not making good his declara- 
tion. 

b If either of the adversaries revoke, the de- 
clarer may either add 150 points to his score 
in the honor column, or may take three 
tricks from his opponents and add them to 
his own. Such tricks may assist the de- 
clarer to make good his declaration, but 
shall not entitle him to score any bonus in 
the honor column, in the case of the decla- 
ration having been doubled or redoubled. 
c When more than one revoke is made by the 
same side during the play of the hand the 
- penalty for each revoke after the first shall 

be 100 points in the honor column. 

A revoking side cannot score, except for 
honors or chicane. 

85. A player may ask his partner if he 
has a card of the suit which he has renounced ; 
should the question be asked before the trick 
is turned and quitted, subsequently turning 
and quitting does not establish a revoke, and 
the error may be corrected unless the question 
is answered in the negative, or unless the re- 



LAWS Oi^ AUCTION. 



133 



yoking player or his partner has led or played 
to the following trick. 

86. If a player correct his mistake in time ^ 
to save a revoke, any player or players who 
have followed him may withdraw their cards 
and substitute others, and the cards so with- 
drawn are not exposed. If the player in fault 
is one of the declarer's adversaries, the card 
played in error is exposed and the declarer 
may call it whenever he pleases ; or he may 
require the offender to play his highest or 
lowest card of the suit to the trick, but this 
penalty cannot be exacted from the declarer. 

87. At the end of a hand the claimants of 
a revoke may search all the tricks. If the cards 
have been mixed the claim may be urged and 
proved if possible; but no proof is necessary 
and the claim is established if, after it has 
been made, the accused player or his partner 
mix the cards before they have been suffi- 
ciently examined by the adversaries. 

88. A revoke must be claimed before the 
cards have been cut for the following deal. 



134 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



89. Should both sides revoke, the only 
score permitted shall be for honors in trumps 
or chicane. If one side revoke more than 
once, the penalty of 100 points for each extra 
revoke shall then be scored by the other side. 

General Rules 

90. Once a trick is complete, turned and 
quitted, it must not be looked at (except under 
Law 82) until the end of the hand. 

91. Any player during the play of a trick 
or after the four cards are played, and be- 
fore they are touched for the purpose of 
gathering them together, may demand that the 
cards be placed before their respective players. 

92. If either of the declarer's adversaries, 
prior to his partner playing, call attention to 
the trick, either by saying it is his, or without 
being requested so to do, by naming his card 
or dravv^ing it toward him, the declarer may 
require such partner to play his highest or 
lowest card of the suit led, or to win or lose 
the trick. 



LAWS 01^ AUCTION. 



135 



93. Either of the declarer's adversaries 
may call his partner's attention to the fact that 
he is about to play or lead out of turn ; but if, 
during the play of a hand, he make any un- 
authorized reference to any incident of the 
play, or of any bid previously made, the 
declarer may call a suit from the adversary 
whose turn it is next to lead. 

94. In all cases where a penalty has been 
incurred the offender is bound to give reason- 
able time for the decision of his adversaries. 

New Cards 

95. Unless a pack is imperfect, no player 
shall have the right to call for one new pack. 
If fresh cards are demanded, two packs must 
be furnished. If they are produced during a 
rubber, the adversaries shall have the choice 
of the new cards. If it is the beginning of a 
new rubber, the dealer, whether he or one of 
his adversaries is the party calling for the new 
cards, shall have the choice. New cards must 
be called for before the pack is cut for a new 
deal. 



136 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



96. A card or cards torn or marked must 
be replaced by agreement or new cards 
furnished. 

Bystanders 

97. While a bystander, by agreement 
among the players, may decide any question, 
he should not say anything unless appealed to ; 
and if he make any remark which calls atten- 
tion to an oversight affecting the score, or to 
the exaction of a penalty, he is liable to be 
called upon by the players to pay the stakes 
(not extras) lost. 

ETIQUETTE OF AUCTION BRIDGE. 

In Auction Bridge slight intimations con- 
vey much information. A code is compiled 
for the purpose of succinctly stating laws 
and for fixing penalties for an offence. To 
offend against etiquette is far more serious 
than to offend against a law ; for, while in 
the latter case the offender is subject to the 
prescribed penalties, in the former his ad- 
versaries have no redress. 

1. Declarations should be made in a simple 
manner, thus : ''One Heart.'' "one No trump,'' 



LAWS OF AUCTION. 



137 



or ''I pass," or ''I double;" they should be 
made orally and not by gesture. 

2. Aside from his legitimate declaration, 
a player should not give any indication by 
word or gesture as to the nature of his hand, 
or as to his pleasure or displeasure at a play, 
a bid or a double. 

3. If a player demand that the cards be 
placed, he should do so for his own infor- 
mation and not to call his partner's atten- 
tion to any card or play. 

4. No player, other than the declarer, 
should lead until the preceding trick is turned 
and quitted; nor, after having led a winning 
card, should he draw another from his hand 
before his partner has played to the current 
trick. 

5. A player should not play a card with 
such emphasis as to draw attention to it. Nor 
should he detach one card from his hand and 
subsequently play another. 

6. A player should not purposely incur a 
penalty because he is willing to pay it, nor 



138 



STREET ON AUCTION. 



should he make a second revoke to conceal a 
first. 

7. Players should avoid discussion and re- 
frain from talking during the play, as it may 
be annoying to players at the table or to those 
at other tables in the room. 

8. The dummy should not leave his seat 
for the purpose of watching his partner's play, 
neither should he call attention to the score nor 
to any card or cards that he or the other 
players hold, nor to any bid previously made. 

9. If a player say ''I have the rest,'' or any 
words indicating the remaining tricks are 
his, and one or both of the other players should 
expose his or their cards, or request him to 
play out the hand, he should not allow any in- 
formation so obtained to influence his play nor 
take any finesse not announced by him at the 
time of making such claim, unless it had been 
previously proven to be a winner. 

10. If a player concede in error one or 
more tricks, the concession should stand. 



I.AWS 01^ AUCTION. 



139 



11. A player having been cut out of one 
table should not seek admission into another 
unless willing to cut for the privilege of entry. 

12. No player should look at any of his 
cards until the deal is completed. 



CONTENTS 



Dedication 3 

Preface 5 

Chapter I — The Scheme of Auction 7 

Chapter II— The Initial Bid 13 

Chapter III— The Dealer's Make— No-Trump . . 24 

Four Aces 26 

Three Aces 26 

Two Aces 26 

One Ace 27 

No Aces 29 

Examples of Sound No-Trump Makes 29 

Examples of Unsound No-Trump Makes . . 31 
Chapter IV— The Dealer's Make — Royals or 

Hearts 34 

Examples of Sound Makes in Royals or 

Hearts 35 

Examples of Unsound Makes in Royals 

or Hearts 37 

Chapter V — The Dealer's Make— Diamonds or 

Clubs 38 

Examples of Sound Diamond or Club 

Makes 40 

Examples of Unsound Diamond or Club 

Makes 40 



Chapter VI— The Dealer's Make— Spades 42 

Examples of One Spade Bids 43 

Example of Sound Two Spade Bids 44 

Examples of Unsound Spade Bids 44 

Chapter VII— Makes to the Score 45 

Chapter VIII— The Second Bidder 46 

Chapter IX— The Third Bidder 52 

Chapter X — Increasing Partner's Bid 61 

Chapter XI— The Fourth Bidder 71 

Chapter XII— Continuing Your Own Suit 73 

Chapter XIII— Doubling 83 

Chapter XIV— The Opening Lead 88 

1. Against a No-Trump Declaration 88 

2. Against a Declared Trump 91 

Chapter XV— Discard 93 

Chapter XVI— Don't 95 

Three Handed Auction 100 

Index to Whist Club Laws 106 

Laws of Auction 108 



JAN as m 



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